Bluetongue Persisting in Balkans, Greece

EUROPE – A wave of late summer Bluetongue outbreaks has been confirmed by the World Organisation for Animal Health.
calendar icon 15 October 2014
clock icon 1 minute read

The virus has continued troubling cattle and sheep farmers, particularly in Greece and Romania where over 1,600 sheep have been confirmed dead.

Greek farmers have been battling the serotype four virus the longest out of the eight countries hit by the strain. Romania's fatality rate at the latest update stood at over 25 per cent.

Further north, the disease has spread to large sheep flocks in Macedonia’s northern region of Kumanova, including a 948 head flock where 15 sheep have died.

Six of the infected flocks are over over 300 head.

OIE data puts Romanian sheep fatality rates at 63 per cent from 152 cases. Three goats have died, although 38 cattle have contracted the virus with none dying.

No further outbreaks have been reported from within Turkey’s eastern Kirklarelli district, the only area of Turkey to report Bluetongue this summer.

All of the 340,000 small ruminants in the province have now been vaccinated.

TheCattleSite News Desk

© 2000 - 2024 - Global Ag Media. All Rights Reserved | No part of this site may be reproduced without permission.